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Released by: Synapse Films
Released on: October 11, 2011
Director: J.L. Vara
Cast: Shea Whigham, Diora Baird, Jon GriesYear: 2010
Year: 2008
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The Movie:
Written and directed by J.L. Vara, South Of Heaven (an entirely appropriate name for this film and not necessarily a Slayer reference!) tells the story of Roy Coop (Adam Nee) who has just gotten out of the navy where his only real connection to the real world came in a series of letters he received from his brother, Dale (Aaron Nee). You see, Dale has been writing a novel and sending it to his brother in letter form, with their plan being to work together to turn it into the masterpiece they both know it will be once Roy returns home. That time has come, but Roy arrives at Dale's place to find it empty - at least initially. Into the apartment come two hitmen dressed like carnival barkers (Jon Gries and Thomas Jay Ryan) looking for a missing girl. Roy has no idea what they're talking about and assumes they're looking for Dale - but they're content to take it out on him in his absence.
Dale, on the other hand, has gotten wrapped up in a bizarre kidnapping scheme masterminded by Mad Dog Mantee (Shea Whigham), a criminal as ruthless and violent as he is impulsive and prone to acting without thinking things through first. Like the movie itself, he too is appropriately named. They're on the run from a mob boss, with Dale hoping to escape and Mad Dog beating the living shit out of and/or raping anyone who gets in their way.
Of course, the story brings these two aspects of its plot together by the time the end credits hit the screen but before all that happens, Vara's film takes you on a pretty interesting trip through the seedy side of humanity. From the dingy low rent apartment to the literally painted landscapes of the American desert, Vara's movie fuses crime noir and candy coated pop art in ways that'll make your head spin and your eyes dance. Visually this low budget picture is an odd mix of the surreal and the all too real, with comic book style characters involved in all manner of graphically violent debauchery but underneath the harsh violence and bleak depictions of suffering is a storyline laced with some effective dark, frequently cartoonish, comedy, one which keeps you guessing and which is anything but predictable.
If the fact that Vara puts his characters through Hell isn't enough to pique your interest, the performances should be. Both Nee brothers bring a likeable screen presence to the movie, each a charming guy you wouldn't mind sitting down for a beer with - realistic in terms of their worldliness but hopeful their novel will make it. The real scene stealer here, however, is Whigham, who never overdoes it where it would have been easy to go overboard but instead offers just enough manic intensity to his part as chief antagonist to really hit it out of the park. The rest of the cast are perfectly fine but Whigham owns this one, he's good enough here that you have to hope he'll go on to bigger things sooner rather than later.
The movie makes a few stumbles before it ends and it wears its low budget roots on its sleeve (though Vara gets credit for not overreaching here) but overall the results of these efforts are impressive and this is a movie quite unlike anything that immediately comes to mind.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Synapse's 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is clean, colorful and nicely detailed. There are no issues with compression nor is there any visible dirt or debris anywhere to be seen. The film has what we can safely assume is an intentionally grainy look to it and that's replicated here quite well.
Audio options are handled by your choice of Dolby Digital 2.0 or 5.1 Surround Sound tracks, both in English with no alternate language options or subtitles offered. Clarity is strong throughout, levels are well balanced and the 5.1 mix does a good job of using directional effects to enhance tension in a few key scenes.
Extras kick off with the first of three commentary tracks courtesy of cast members Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, Jon Gries, and Shea Whigham. This covers what it was like working on the film in front of the camera and gives us a bit of insight into their respective characters and into their experiences making the picture. The second commentary rounds up critics Scott Weinberg, Devin Faraci and Todd Brown to discuss Vara's technique, the performances, what works in the film and more with each of the three participants offering up some insight into this particular film and into the indy film scene in generally. The third and final track wrangles up writer/director J.L. Vara, cinematographer Darren Genet, and the film's two producers, Brian Udovich and Jason Polstein, for a talk that, not surprisingly, is spearheaded by Vara. It's the most technical of the three discussions and allows Genet to explain why certain scenes were shot the way they were, Vara to talk about the writing, the performances and the casting and more.
Between the three commentary tracks it's hard to imagine anything really being left out here so it's probably a good thing that the other extras on the disc are short films from Vara. The first, Miserable Orphan, is a thirty eight minute piece, Azole Dkmuntch runs for twenty eight minutes and Boy and His Fetus for fifteen minutes. These three come across as weird for the sake of weird and so some might interpret this material as pretentious but if you enjoyed the feature you'll want to check these out just to see Vara's early stuff and compare/contrast it to the far more polished and impressive feature. It's also interesting to see him working with some of the same actors here (namely the Nee brothers). Menus and chapter stops round out the extras on the disc.
The Final Word:
As dark and downright bleak as the movie can get at times, there's no denying that South Of Heaven is a fiercely original and very well made piece of independent cinema that comes recommended for those looking for something a little more interesting than typical mainstream pap or tired genre rehashes. Synapse has done a fine job bringing this odd film to DVD
